Ice Ice Baby

So, thankfully, things here are just about back to normal after all the ice. Not totally, since there is still a fair bit of snow and ice on the ground (even a week later) and a few people without power, but mostly things are back up and running. I never lost power, thank goodness. But then again, in the last ice storm (2003) I was without power for 6 days, so maybe the ice storm gods just decided to cut me some slack.

I was prepared, though. I figured it was better to be safe than sorry. So on Friday last week I went to Meijer to get some supplies. I need to pick up some batteries (D size for my radio) and some windshield washer fluid that wouldn't freeze every time the temperature dropped below freezing (since the geniuses that designed my car decided it was a good idea to put the washer fluid lines in the windshield wipers where they get no heat from the engine.). I also wanted to get another lighter just in case I had to spend the next few days grilling and lighting candles.

But I realized when I got to the store that I had no idea where you look for a lighter. Where exactly does something like that live? (And not a cigarette lighter, one of the long nosed ones that you use for camping and stuff.) I started out by looking in the camping eisle, which was very popular at that point since a good portion of the city was still without power. But they weren't there. Then I looked for one with the candles, since I felt like they would kind of go together. Still no dice. Finally, I gave up and headed back for the checkout, and low and behold, there they were, right next to the checkout lane. Who knew?

But it turned out that I never did lose power, so I didn't need all my supplies anyway, although at least now I have them, just in case. And they finally scrapped the sidewalk to my apartment building yesterday so now I don't have to skate across 8 feet of solid ice to get to the parkinglot, which is nice. But it is supposed to snow again today (1-3 inches) so who knows what things will be like tomorrow.

Is it spring yet?